Changing Paces

I didn't start out as a runner from school or even in my early twenties. In fact in those years my weekly exercise routine consisted mainly of jumping up and down to breaks and beats on a Friday night and little else.

When I came to running following a rock climbing injury it was a means to an end; to get fit again, to improve my climbing. As the bug bit and I found pleasure in longer runs on the coast path I measured my progress in pushing myself to go further and for longer.

In the years that followed I've become quite adept and moving slowly for a long time.

This year though as a family we started attending the local Park Run, mainly to get the kids out and about, but soon we arranged ourselves so that Hannah and I would take turns at running our own pace and inevitably we bacame competitive with ourselves and looked to improve our times.

Following the completion of the Glencoe Skyline and with a house build looming over us making long runs harder to fit in I decided in September to dedicate a few months to getting faster over 5k.

It turns out its not as easy as I expected. Earlier this year I'd run 21:50 ish. Just after Glencoe I surprised myself by scraping in under 21 minutes. So it seemed reasonable to think I could knock a minute more off my time with some concerted effort and a decent training plan.

I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to planning training schedules but should say that my principle basis for the training I followed this year came from this page here.

The workouts for this kind of distance are short but brutal. They hurt and they are exhausting and, at times, I felt a little like I had sucked all the joy out of running (mid week at least, I still ran a nice easy trail run at the weekends).

To be honest I was a little dissappointed by the results at first, since the sub 20 barrier continued to elude me. But a pb is a pb and I set one each time I ran for time. Eventually, just before Christmas, I got my time down to 20:24. So 30 seconds in 3 months. Given another 3 months I might just do it.

Most of all what I got from this was a good break from just plodding, a real reminder of what HARD feels like and an appreciation of what it takes to run this distance well. 5k is a hard distance when you are trying. It feels to me like a slow suffication, by the last mile my body is aching with the lactic acid build up, my lungs are screaming and my legs are turning to jelly. Crossing the finish is a blessed relief.

I'm actually glad in some ways I didn't break 20 minutes. I don't want it to be easy. I'll get there and when I do it will feel all the better. But now, I've signed up for Manchester marathon; I've only run one road marathon and that was a long time ago so I'm keen to see how I fare. So the training plan has been modified and my pace has changed again. Lakeland 100 will follow in July so another 3 months with a very different focus will be required.

After that, who knows? Maybe a summer of running short fast sessions again, or maybe I'll just keep plodding on.

The Cotswold Century - part 1

On the weekend of the 26th September I completed the Cotswold Century, my first 100 mile event. This, even for me, has turned into a bit of a massive post so I've split it into 2. First my preparations for the event and then the race itself, so if you just want to skip to the good bit its here. Otherwise read on:

After running Lakeland 50 and with planning permission granted for our house (re)build next year effectively cutting out any chance of long distance racing in 2016 I was keen for a last big race. Looking through the list of events that took my fancy in Autumn I came up with a list , containing several more Lake district races, the VOTWO Atlantic Coastal Challenge and the Cotswold Century. Hannah wasn't keen on my travelling to the Lakes again and the associated costs so we narrowed it down quickly to the ACC or the Cotswold century. The former is a 3 day 3 marathon affair on the North Cornwall coast path. I've never run a multi stage event so that would be a challenge in its own right; the latter a 100 mile race along the Cotswold Way. The Cotswold Way had piqued my interest when I was lucky to run a section of it a few years back and has been on my wish list ever since.

Hannah asked which I'd prefer to do and, without hesitation I said the Cotswold Century. Not wanting a change of heart from either of us to scupper my plans I signed up for the race, boooked the youth hostel and the train tickets all before bed that night. Now I was committed.

I had 9 weeks from completing Lakeland 50 to race day at the Cotswold Century. Here's how that broke down in training:

Week 1 : no running
Week 2 : 21 miles - no running for the first 4 days then 3 runs over the weekend
Week 3 : 32 miles - build up week, no hard workouts and a long run of 16 miles
week 4 : 50 miles including 20 mile long run
Week 5 : 54 miles with a (not quite) 20 mile long run
Week 6 : 56 miles and a 29 mile long run
Week 7 : 35 miles - starting to taper - 16 mile long run
Week 8 : 20 miles - tapering right off; no long run
Week 9 : Race week, no running in the 5 days prior to the race

This was as good a lead up as could be expected for me. I needed a goood rest after Lakeland and reverse tapered back up to peak mileage. In the three peak weeks I ran a hard workout each Tuesday - hill sprints or speed work. On the Thursdays I ran to and from work as well as my normal lunchtime run - this would make a 20+ mile day and, combined with running home with my laptop in my rucksack, gave me some good mental preparation for running on tired legs. My weekend long runs as usual were done at a very slow pace carrying all manadatory kit and fuelling as per race day.

The Coswold Century is a self navigation event following the Cotswold Way National Trail. Previous competitors have reported that route finding can be difficult in places; there are no additional course markings bar the existing National trail signs and with 12 hours of darkness to contend with this was a real concern. I'd got myself a copy of the Harvey map that accompanies the trail. With it being such a long course I'd have needed numerous OS maps whereas the Harvey map covers the entire trail all condensed onto one double sided map. Of course the downside to this is that the map, at 1:40,000 would not offer too much detail such as field boundaries, etc. So at the last minute I downloaded an app for my phone called back country pro (Android, £8.99). This allowed me to download all the relevant OS maps I needed and I was also able to overlay the route gpx. Although it wouldn't allow me to folllow a track with appropriate warnings it would at least serve as a backup to verify my location on the map if needed.

The usual tapering unpleasantness of achy legs and lethargy accompanied the build up to race day, plus I was panicking about travelling to and from the event since I would be alone and at the mercy of public transport. While travelling by train isn't my normal form of transport I arrived at Bath YHA  in good time and well rested.

Bedding down in the YHA I noticed another bloke in my dorm was sporting a Plague t shirt and introduced myself. It was Paul Reeve, from Portreath, just up the road from home! Turned out he and Sharon Sullivan were up from Cornwall and staying there. We've never really met before but all recognised each other from around about the various events we've been at. We met at breakfast and they kindly gave me a lift up to the park and ride where we would catch the bus to the start line at Chipping Campden. There's nothing like an hour in a bus to press home exactly how long you will be running! Chatting on the bus to those around me took my mind off the impending race but soon we were there and piling through regsitration at the school.

Kurt's briefing left is in illusions about the challenge that lay ahead. There was nothing left now but to run the race; 102 miles or there abouts of rolling British countryside awaited us. We were escorted into the center of the village and hung around nervously in the market place waiting for the off.

In part 2 I'll describe the race itself.....

Kinetic Revolution 30 day challenge

During November & December last year I took part in the Thirty Day Challenge, a free online set of training drills aimed at improving your running. Ultimately I failed the challenge which is why I have hesitated to write anything about it. Over the last few weeks though I've come to realise that I still gained a lot from it and will soon be repeating it to see how I get on second time around.

I've followed the James Dunne and his Kinetic Revolution webiste on twitter for a while now and read many of his articles, watched videos and so on; the thirty day challenge has routinely popped up in my in box inviting me to take it on and "Run stonger - Run faster". So with the long drawn out process of trying to rehab my achilles preventing me from putting in any serious mileage and a realisation that I needed to build myself back up to fitness slowly and methodically, taking advantage of this moment in time to actually do some cross training and strength work seemed a no brainer. I'm no athlete, I generally follow a fairly well structured plan when training for a race, but all the other stuff like eating properly, staying off the beer and hitting the gym are less evident in my preparations. Perhaps that is why I'm injured? I'm also under no illusions, running needs to be fun, I'm not in contention for any kind of podium place, even in my age group, so there's no reason to get too excited about it all.  That said I do want to be as good as I can be and I definately want to get stronger and prevent further injury.

The course is divided into 6 sections of 6 days. Each section concentrates on a particular aspect, aiming to increase flexibility and strength and concentrating largely on the hips.

The first section felt easy enough and really lured me into a false sense of security with some easy but unflattering balance and stretching routines - when someone walks in on you doing the abductor stretch you'll know what I mean!

Section two was more about strength - some of these involved an element of balance - the single leg dead lift for instance - and revealed to me some serious weaknesses, especially on my left leg.

In the thrid section there was more stretching - I found areas within my hips I never knew about - and some basic plyometrics - hopping on one leg for instance. The latter part worried me as my achilles seemed to feel it more than I'd like but there seemed not to be any lasting effects.

Section four was resistance band work - oh good a nice easing in difficulty. Err.. no. Actually found this really hard and although I was familiar with some of these exercises they really worked me hard. James has created a series of alternatives for anyone unable to get their hands on a resistance band so there are no excuses!

Finally came section five - here the routines were all running drills concentrating on form, and it is here where things fell apart I'm afraid. My achilles to flared up a bit (delayed onset from the plyometrics or just bad luck?) and this combined with the advent (sorry) of Christmas, meant I missed the last few days.

I've read a lot of comments from people who have done the course saying they set a PB during or straight after; this wasn't the case for me, though no surprises there as I am still rehabbing my achilles. Over the last few weeks though I've noticed that I keep accidentally running too fast! My easy pace over 6 miles has increased and on some harder efforts I've found myself going much quicker than I had intended. Now there is too much at play to point purely to this course but I'm certainly very aware of the way I drive my hips back now.

I found out a lot over the month I was doing the challenge: my balance, especially when moving my centre of gravity, is appalling and needs work; my hips flexors are weak and my left leg is especially lazy (I knew this already but this course really underlined it).

James obviously wants us to be inspired by his free coaching to sign up for some paid stuff - asking us to unlock our "free speed". For now I'm going to repeat these exercises until they don't feel like they are killing me and hopefully next time around I'll get to the end of the course.

Here's the link for anyone who is interested: http://www.kinetic-revolution.com/30daychallenge/

Injury reframed

Following on from my previous post I thought I should give an update on my ongoing achilles injury. Last week I visited a new physio - Paul Coker at the Treatment Centre in Truro. What makes Paul different from previous physios is that he is also an ultra runner which has to be a good thing.

We spent a good bit of time going over my history and when we got to the part where I mentioned my climbing accident and subsequent smashed up Calcaneous on the other (left) leg, Paul seemed convinced that this was where the problem was.

So here's the theory, broken and deformed Calcaneous, lack of movement & flexibility in certain planes of motion, significantly less strength in the left leg overall (Paul measured my calfs and I was surprised how different they were); all adding up to a leg that was not pulling its weight. The right leg therefore has to do a lot more work and probably impacts the ground harder, especially as I tire on longer runs, eventually causing the injury to my achilles.

There followed some massage to my injured leg performed with a kind of metal knuckle duster and without doubt the most painful massage I have ever received! What was really positive though was that in fact I should not be resting but continuing to run, albeit at reduced intensity for now. I have had a feeling, and Paul confirmed this, that the weeks off had made things worse, not better.  I am to continue with the eccentric heel drops but adding weight to make them harder.

For my left leg I need to work on the part of the muscle that prevents me standing right up on tip toe, currently I can only get up about half way as far on my left leg as my right. This I had assumed was a mechanical limitation I was stuck with but Paul thinks I can improve it: I have to hold myself in position for as long as I can, using as much assistance as necessary to stop my heel from dropping. Eventually once I can do this I will extend the exercise to full calf lifts but I'm a way off that right now.  Paul also thinks I can get some of the range of motion back - I currently can't turn my foot in fully. He thinks rather than a bone on bone limitation post-op this is all down to tightened tendons running down the front of my leg so I have some instructions - including a foam roller and pushing my foot into position - to get this mobility back.

And as for running, its ok for it to hurt! Paul asked me to judge my efforts on how sore I am after rather than during my runs, and this is the best news I could have! Its funny how a little confidence boost like this can make so much difference. I was running previously and wincing at every twinge I felt in my achilles. This weekend I ran free of the fear that I was damaging my foot, happy that in fact I was doing it some good - and the next day: no pain. So next weekend my long run will be just that little bit longer!

Its going to be a while before I am fully fit but mentally I am in a much better place and I'm sure I'm on the right track. Watch this space.

Heartbreak hills - Porthpean to Mevagissey

Porthpean beach

Last week, with the Plague fast approaching, I decided it was time to get familiar with the course. So after work on Thursday I headed over to Porthpean. Porthpean to Mevagissey is the first and last six miles of the out and back Plague route as well as the finish for all the other distances. I've run it before - two years ago I ran the red twenty mile course - and it is brutal. The Plague starts at midnight so the first twenty miles or more will be run under cover of darkness; I want to know where I'm going!

Memorial to Al Rowse

From Porthpean beach the coast path is gained via a steady climb uphill, which continues up a track before opening out into fields. A ludicrously steep climb follows and afterwards the first set of steps arrive. These first few climbs are just a warm up though. The coast path pops out onto a road at Trenarren; its easy to get lost here: take the left fork then left again just after a house. If you miss this you will be directed via some very clear signs through farmland before rejoining the coast path in a half mile of so. Get it right though and you will soon gain Black Head, passing a large carved monolith commemorating the life of Poet and Historian Al Rowse.



The path drops down, into woodland, and up again. More steps follow, steep ones, long ones, overgrown ones (at this time of year at least). After about three miles or so though the assault on your quads eases off. From here until Pentewan the path is hemmed in between the cliff and fenced off fields and a lot less hilly.

Looking West from Black Head

On arrival at Pentewan you skirt in front of some attractive houses, not sure but I assume they are holiday homes, then turn sharp left and steeply down into the village, passing through the square and past the Ship Inn. From here its out onto the main road briefly before rejoining the coast path at the entrance to the holiday park.

Looking back to Pentewan

If you thought you had left behind the hills then think again, more steep climbing follows over grassy fields and in the company of cattle. The views, first back to Pentewan and soon across towards Mevagissey are spectacular, so stop a minute to catch your breath as you take them in.

Towards Mevagissey

Entering Mevagissey you'll cross an open green and descend steps to the side of the harbour. Depending on the time of year you may be greeted by a far few tourists at this point. Last Thursday it was quiet though and I stopped for an ice cream and looked at the boats for a bit before heading back.

Mevagissey Harbour

5 Lessons from the Trail Team weekend (and how to use them)

This weekend is my first race since I attended the Trail Team 2014 weekend in the Lake district. I've been thinking a lot about everything I learned there. I've also been getting very excited about running the Marlborough Downs Challenge this weekend. I want to try and push myself to set a half decent time, rather than just get around and will be taking some key lessons from the trail camp with me on Saturday. So in no particular order, here we go:

1. Navigation is a skill. If you need to navigate, ensure you can. Hearing Berghaus athlete Helene Whitaker talk about how she was crap at navigating so learnt the course in full before the Dragon's Back reminded me of something I'd read when I registered for the Marlborough Downs challenge. Oh yes, its a self navigation route, map and compass advisable to compliment the SEVEN PAGES of route notes. Oh dear. One hasty reminder on how to orient a map and take a bearing later, followed by an hour or so drawing the route onto the map and I'm ready to go. Hopefully I won't be posting on Runner's World how I got lost as many evidently have done on previous years (we'll see).

2. Manage negative thoughts. Steve Birkenshaw, also sponsored by Berghaus, gave us some good tips on how to get through those low points. Concentrating on the next check point, next mile, next hill, next step; counting to a hundred; talking to others were some of the options. It all sounds good, but the one that scares me the most is the one I aim to put into practice on Saturday: Shorten the pain. In the last few miles I'm going to try and run faster and cut short the suffering by getting home quicker. Big words, but its got to be worth a try.

3. Maximise nutrition. Torq energy gels are formulated to allow ingestion of 30% more carbs than taking glucose alone. I intend to make the most of this toward the end of the race. I can't stomach too many gels and will still be taking on flapjacks and other real food at the start of the race but I will slowly switch over to more gels at the end. If I can, the last two hours I'm going to try and get three gels an hour down my neck and have a couple of the Guarana ones ready for when I need a boost.

4. Stretch it out on the downhills. This was a bit of a personal epiphany really. A first time mountain runner and more used to the short sharp ups and downs of the coast path it was incredible to run downhill for up to two miles over technical terrain. I like downhill running and like to think I'm reasonably good at it (compared to my uphill "running"). But until this weekend I hadn't really got it. I found myself stretching my legs out for the first time and really flying downhill. I just seemed to get into a stride where I was moving efficiently and it felt great.

5. Thirty three miles is not that far (except, of course, it is). Spending the weekend in the company of some really very accomplished and talented runners left me motivated and brimming with confidence. Many people there had run fifty or a hundred miles many times (some further still). The confidence is still there but what I really want to take into this weekend is a reminder to myself that thirty three miles is, for me at least, still a very long way. Sure I know I can do the distance but I mustn't underestimate the challenge. Its not a doddle and it isn't in the bag, especially as I've set myself a goal to get round in a certain time.

And what time am I aiming for I hear you cry? Well if I had any sense I keep it a secret but where is the fun in that? I want to finish in under 6 hours. Not a winning time for by any means (last year's winner came in at 4:13!) but a step up, pace wise. If the navigation doesn't let me down I think I can do it.

So check back in a few days to see how it all went.

The Trail Running Team Weekend

Well what a weekend I have had. This weekend was, of course the Lake district selection weekend for The Trail Running Team. I'm still digesting everything that I experienced and will no doubt have more to say on quite a few subjects over the coming weeks. Right now I'm buzzing with excitement; I don't think I've ever felt quite so motivated before!

I'd travelled up from Cornwall with Wanda Summers and her friend Steve and we had a mammoth ten hour journey. We arrived to find our hosts Simon and Julie had saved us some food though which was kind of them and soon we were fed and watered, had introduced ourselves to a few of the others and made and arrangement to be up at 7 for a pre-breakfast run.

Now its not often I find myself crawling into bed with a Welshman but confusion over the allocation of beds and my arrival in the room after lights out brought this event close to a reality! Some hasty negotiations with the Youth Hostel staff soon led to me being found a bed of my own though and all was well with the world!

In the morning we were surprised to find the rain had stopped and a few of us headed out the door for a quick run. This was limited by the need to return for breakfast but got us out in the open and enjoying the scenic hills. The rain returned on the way back but did nothing to quell the thrill of a fast couple of miles down to the hostel.

After breakfast - full English of course - the rest of the group started to arrive and before long we were getting to know each other before heading upstairs for a quick photo and the start of the day proper.

Following a welcome from Simon we were introduced to the Berghaus trail running product line. 

To support the needs of their sponsored athletes Philippe & Anna Gatta in their attempt to run the Great Himalaya Trail Berghaus created a range of super light high performance clothing.  The highlight was the Hyper Smock, the worlds lightest fully water proof jacket, weighing in at only 84 grams. Also on show was the Vapour claw shoe; a fairly lightweight model with an aggressive sole clearly designed with UK trails in mind, plus a very nice looking mid layer - the Hypertherm Jacket, which, through clever use of different materials, could be reversed to give more or less insulation as required.

Hyper smock

Hyper Therm Jacket

Vapour Claw

mmmmm...Apple Crumble!

Next up we were treated to a very informative talk from Torq fitness regarding nutrition and the Torq fueling system. Torq are making use of the latest research and have created a range of products - gels, drinks and bars - that each make use of a 2:1 mix of Maltodextrin and Fructose to aid in uptake.

We got to taste the product range while at lunch. The fact they have managed to pull off palatable flavours such as Rhubarb & Custard, Apple Crumble and Blackcurrant Yoghurt is nothing short of miraculous.

After lunch came the guest speakers:

Steve Birkinshaw was first up. With a list of achievements as long as his arm, not least the 2012 victory at the Dragon's back were were treated to a mixture of advice on training, dealing with negative thoughts and an overview of his preparations for his next challenge - an attempt on the record for the fastest navigation of every one of 214 Wainwrights. 

Next Came Helene Whitaker. Helene won the Dragon's back outright in 1992 and came 4th twenty years later in 2012. Her honest appraisal of her own strengths and weaknesses and determination to do what was necessary to overcome them left an impression; not a strong navigator (hilarious to hear her tell of once taking a bearing on a sheep!) she made sure she had run the entire Dragon's back course beforehand to ensure she knew where she was going.

In both talks what struck me was, as with many other people here this weekend, that these two ordinary people were achieving extraordinary feats through hard work and determination. Occasionally though the competitive killer instinct could be seen shining through as they spoke of the races they had been involved in.

Later on we were privileged to watch the film of the Dragon's back race with Steve in attendance. Its a brilliant film, made more so by the company in the room at the time and I'd advise anyone with an interest in trail running to seek it out.

Before that though we headed out for the second run of the day. Essentially following the same path as before but with a little more time on our hands we climbed up to Red Tarn below the final slopes of Helvellyn and I arrived just in time to see Steve and a number of others strip off and dive into the freezing waters! No thanks!

 

The next morning we had another chance to go running. There were three groups - Steve leading the way with a fast group, Helene's husband and another guide whose name, to my shame, I have forgotten (Joanne?) took a middle pace group while Helene herself led a fast hike.

We were together up to the Tarn and then split into our respective groups.  To my surprise, rather than following the obvious path up to Swirral edge we were directed up a ridiculously steep grassy hill to reach the summit of Catsye Cam. This is probably bread and butter for the fell runners among our group but it was hard going for me. Worth it though as the views were incredible at the top and we had a great downhill onto Swirral edge, before a scramble up the edge itself. Every now and then I remember how much I miss climbing and how I must make the effort to get out more and this was one of those times. Topping out onto the summit of Helvellyn we proceeded then onto a series of rounded tops - some of the "Dodds", a group of grassy rolling fells - before finally dropping down via a stream crossing to return to the Hostel.

 

Having run almost exclusively on the coast paths this day was a massive eye opener for me; I could have just carried on all day exploring this runner's paradise!

So that was it, I'd done some cool runs, met some amazing people and learnt an awful lot. I still have a lot to learn but my confidence is up and I'm motivated as hell to get out and run long. Thank you everyone, its been an awesome weekend and one I won't ever forget!

Trail Report - Coverack to Helford

Coverack 

Following on from the last outing on the Lizard I thought I might take a look at the section of coast running North from Coverack over Easter weekend. Having had a couple of days of good weather my long run was, predictably, scheduled for the first day of rain in a week or so. That said, the day dawned sunny and calm and I couldn't believe my luck as I got out of the car at Coverack.

The road down to the harbour was closed for some sort of works which must be a nightmare for the locals, though there is a car park on entering the village with an honesty box and adjacent toilet block.

Looking back to Coverack from Lowland point

After a quick stop at the latter I was off; with no signs to show the way I followed the road left and soon reached a gate barring the way and sporting an official looking sign. The coast path revealed itself on the right and led down and around what my nostrils revealed to be a sewerage works but soon I was out in the open and away from the village. The next mile is simply stunning, running just above sea level over boulders and open grassland. It was very dry underfoot but the presence of well maintained stepping stones gave a hint as to what the terrain might be like in less pleasant conditions. 

Soon I was at the aptly named Lowland Point. On rounding the headland a less attractive sight comes into view - the industrial landscape of Dean Quarry. A nice official sign warns of the dangers of straying from the path though I think work here has now stopped. 

Danger Will Robinson!

A well maintained (and signposted) gravel track skirts the quarry and before long drops down to Godrevy Cove (its a common theme throughout Cornwall that place names are repeated, often at different ends of the county, as they often describe some aspect of the landscape. "Godrevi" it turns out, translates to "Small farms"). 

Godrevy Cove

This is a private beach and the last part of the actual coast that the coast path traverses for a few miles. At the back of the beach is a bridge which leads to a path running steeply up through farmland and eventually to the road. From here its a couple of miles of road running, skirting another quarry and leading you through Porthoustock.  

The Giant's Quoits

On the way I passed the Giant's Quoits, a stack of rocks that had stood a Manacles Point for thousands of years and were moved to accommodate the expanding quarry during the 1960's.

After Porthoustock the route continues a little way along the road, until a path can be taken just left of the Porthkerris Divers site sign. This passes the well sign posted Fat Apples Cafe before rejoining the road into Porthallow. Here, on the beach, is a sign informing travellers that they have reached the half way point on the South West Coast Path - which runs from Minehead to Poole.

Porthoustock

Halfway

A boat on Porthallow beach

Porthallow

Leaving Porthallow via a set of steep steps the path has been diverted slightly through farmland due to a section of rockfall. Some fields and beautiful narrow trails follow, this year the Blackthorn is full of blossom, hopefully signalling a good harvest of Sloes in the autumn, and they compete for space here with the ever golden gorse.

A headland is soon apparent with a coast guard lookout at its extremity. This is Nare Point. The inlet beyond I had thought was the Helford but this was where things went a little wrong for me. 

Nare Point

 After following the track from the Coast Guard's I soon reached a small group of houses which I now know is Flushing. 

Flushing

Looking across the creek I could see a village with a church and I followed the signs along the water through a beautiful bluebell wood in full flower. After following various paths up to, and into, various gardens and back down to the water I realised this was not the Helford (on reflection it was way too narrow). 

Lost in the woods

At low tide this is the coast path

Looking across the water I could see what I thought was a coast path sign. Retracing my steps I read the signage properly and discovered I had followed directions for a low tide only route.  Turning inland and onto the road again a hilly couple of miles ran behind Gillan Creek, via some dream properties with boats moored up close by before reaching St Anthony - the village I had seen from the other side.  

St Anthony

Gillan Creek

Lugger on Gillan Creek

Leaving the village the path climbs steeply to a headland then cuts back and drops down into woodland. The path here is covered in roots and demands your attention before, finally, arriving at Helford village. I arrived just in time to see the end of the Easter Egg pushing race!   

  

View from Helford Village

In all its about 13 miles; maybe 11 or a little less if the low tide crossing can be made. Whilst there is a little too much road for my liking the variety encountered, from wild coastline, to industrial wasteland, peaceful woodlands and picture postcard waterways this really is a classic route. turning around the clouds had moved in and before long it was raining. Still I really enjoyed the journey back and felt strong even at the finish which was a welcome change to my recent runs.

For anyone who's interested here's the route on Strava:

The chance of a lifetime

Oh my, I don't know where to start - well I do but this is quite surreal and my head is in a bit of a funny place right now but here goes:

A month or so ago I saw an ad on the right hand side of my Facebook feed for a competition to become a member of the Berghaus trail team.  Crucially this was open to runners of all abilities and would give four non-elite runners access to the kind of kit, training and advice that is usually only available to the top athletes.  For those that are selected the following year offers a number of perks:

• £1000 worth of Berghaus kit
• Nutritional products from TORQ Fitness
• A three day training and preparation trip running in the Alps around the UTMB course (weather dependent) around Chamonix from 1st to 3rd July 2014
• Appearances in features in Trail Running Magazine
• Support and advice throughout the season 

There was a bit of form filling to do including a personal statement about who I am and what my running goals and experience are and that was it, done.  Now, to be honest I enter quite a few competitions as you never know eh? But really, I didn't expect anything to come of it.

Until today. I got an email at 5:30 pm to say I had been short listed! There are one hundred of us and we are required to attend a training day either in the Lakes or London (no contest, Lakes every time) and following that the list will be whittled down to four.  We all get an amazing opportunity to run in the Lakes with the Berghaus crew, including Steve Birkinshaw - a top trail runner with a string of major achievements under his belt (he's previously won the Lakeland 100 and OMM, among others). So, even if I don't end up as one of the lucky four I still think this will be the chance of the lifetime, I can't wait!

Trail Report: Lizard to Coverack

I've run the west coast of the Lizard more times than I can remember. Its one of my favourites, plus I can get to Gunwalloe in fifteen minutes from home so it makes a good starting place.

I fancied a change this weekend so I headed down to Lizard with a view to running a few miles up the East coast. Whilst I know some of the tourist spots along this coast and, some years ago, dived a fair bit from Porthkerris, I've never run - or walked - this stretch of coastline before.

On arriving at Lizard village there is ample parking (at this time of year anyway) on the green - an honesty box awaits your contribution - though there is also a paying car park closer to Lizard point, by the lighthouse.

I opted for the former and the dog and I were soon under way, following first the road, then a track down to the Lighthouse where a steep path leads on to the coast path just east of the Lizard. Its possible to walk straight down to Lizard point by following the road a little further should you wish to tick the box of visiting the Southern-most point but been there, done that so I took the most direct route.

Turning left the path runs under the imposing wall of the lighthouse before skirting around the picture postcard perfection of Housel Bay and on to Bass point, where the Loyds signal station awaits - this rather odd looking half house half castle is the oldest surviving communications station in the world and was used in the first transmissions by Marconi at the turn of the twentieth century.

From here a couple of ups and downs lead to the newly built Lizard Lifeboat station which is periodically open to the public. This was only built a few years back and replaces the long defunct structure at Lizard point.

Soon after you will drop down to a little treasure - Church Cove (not to be confused with ... ahem ... Church Cove at Gunwalloe on the West side of the Lizard) - where a few cottages sit above a tiny slipway flanked by high cliffs.  The path actually runs behind the houses but its worth a detour to check out the slipway.

Moving on the path continues on towards Cadgwith, passing the incredible collapsed cave of the Devil's Frying Pan. Cadgwith itself is a beautiful village, with a small fishing fleet and an abundance of thatched cottages. This is the architypal Cornish coastal village and is often busy with tourists in the summer.

Leaving Cadgwith I could see the rain was on its way. However the sun found a break in the clouds and for a moment or two the coast was flooded with an eerie orange light before the flat grey clouds descended once more and closed the gap in the sky.

The next feature encountered is the Poltesco valley. Once a thriving port due to the abundance of Pilchards and later the site of a Serpentine factory there are many ruined buildings to explore, plus a very impressive wooden bridge across the stream.

Its a good climb up from here - one of many on this stretch of coastline. But before long you are popping unexpectantly out onto a pitch and put golf course below a caravan site. From here the path leads you to the road and down to Kennack Sands. This is a really lovely beach split by a small headland and with wetlands behind, a toilet block and during the summer at least a cafe.

If anything the going gets tougher now with some very steep climbs. At one point the path drops down again to sea level and I was surprised to find the bridge across the stream had been ripped from its moorings in the winter storms.

After a while the houses of Coverack come into view but its not all over yet. The final mile into Coverack is very steep, technical and, frankly, not that run-able, at least not when its wet.

By now the rain had set in and on arriving at Coverack we did't hang around before turning round and heading for home. All in all, its eleven miles from Lizard to Coverack. There are a few options to cut the return journey short, either cutting inland at Church Cove, Bass Point or Housel Bay should your legs or timescale require it.

All in all this is a superb run taking in a rugged, varied piece of the coast path with some beautiful coves and villages along the way.